Schwarzenegger election campaign greeted with hostility

Arnold Schwarzenegger has stopped using the word "fantastic" to describe his life in politics.

He can no longer count on adoring crowds wherever he goes. At his first public forum in Los Angeles last Thursday, he was pummelled with hostile questions as angry voters accused him of being wrong on issues and deceitful in the way he has sold his policy agenda.

On Tuesday, he hopes voters will approve a package of measures that he either put on the ballot himself or personally approved. But the election has been denounced as a waste of time and money by a majority of the electorate, and the four key Schwarzenegger-backed issues are rated anywhere from modestly to catastrophically in opinion polls.

Schwarzenegger is seen by critics in both major parties as having succumbed to the great American disease of rule by division. Three of his four ballot initiatives, which cover everything from budget management to political fundraising by unions to job security for teachers, are widely viewed as partisan attacks on the public service workers - teachers, nurses, firefighters and police - who have been most vocal in their criticism of him.

Opinion polls show overwhelming public support for his enemies, while approval of his performance is almost exactly the same as President Bush's.

All is not lost. Special elections are notorious for their low turnouts, and the Schwarzenegger camp is hoping that many of the Governor's detractors will stay away and allow him at least one or two victories.

If Schwarzenegger is defeated, it will raise questions about whether he can seek re-election in a year's time. He has said he will run, but this appears primarily motivated by a desire to secure corporate contributions for the special election.

- INDEPENDENT